The state trial for the former manager of a Waimanalo puppy mill has been delayed again because the defendant has fired his court-appointed attorney.
David Lee Becker, charged with 153 counts of animal cruelty, has been behind bars since June, unable to post $200,000 bail.
Becker requested a new lawyer after his previous attorney, Deputy Public Defender Steven Nichols, was unable to get a judge to approve supervised release. Circuit Judge Glenn Kim this week granted Becker’s request for a new attorney and continued the case until Dec. 17. His new court-appointed attorney is Tae Won Kim.
Becker was the manager of Bradley International when the Hawaiian Humane Society and Honolulu police seized 153 dogs from the property on Feb. 28, 2010.
He was detained in Las Vegas on June 8 and extradited to Honolulu a week later. His bail was doubled from $100,000 on June 18, and he has since been in Oahu Community Correctional Center.
On Sept. 12, Kim rejected Becker’s request to be released to the supervision of his sister.
Becker’s sister has said her brother left Hawaii in May 2011 because their 77-year-old grandmother in Nevada requested his help.
However, city prosecutors have said he left the state to avoid being arrested.
Becker could be fined as much as $306,000 and spend at least a year in jail if convicted.
Representatives of Bradley International pleaded no contest in December 2010 to the 153 counts of animal cruelty. However, none of the $370,701 in restitution, $306,000 in fines and $8,415 in court fees has been paid because the company has gone out of business.
